Back Packing Expert

1f64

What kind of camping lanterns best fit your outdoor needs? Do you need light weight for backpacking, or is maximum light more important?

Camping lanterns have been around for quite a while, especially fuel lanterns like kerosene and gas lanterns. LED lanterns, rechargeable lanterns or electric lanterns, butane lanterns, propane lanterns, battery lanterns and candle lanterns are newer to the scene though. All of them being different they have advantages and disadvantages…

Why should you learn wilderness survival skills just for backpacking? They may save your life someday, and for ultralight enthusiasts like myself, skills replace gear, and therefore weight. The best reason, however, may be that it’s just a good feeling to know you can deal with whatever comes up. It makes you feel more at home.

Want to run up that ridge, just to see what’s there? Want to easily carry your pack up those fourteener’s, so you can go down by any route you choose? Want to feel good at the end of a twenty-mile day? It’s time to liighten your load.

Ultralight Backpacking - The First 3 Steps

1. Buy a light backpack. Mine weighs 14 ounces, and I’ve used it on week-long trips. Don’t go over two pounds.

Weight is always a concern with backpacking food you’ll be carrying everything on your back. Some will tell you to find your weight savings in other areas, and argue for the necessity of healthy, meaning heavy, food. My experience, however, tells me that we can enjoy lighter loads and worry less about healthy food on short trips.

Okay, do you really want to make all your own backpacking clothes? More power to you, and good luck. After the first hundred tedious hours of sewing I started buying gear again. However, there are SOME backpacking clothes you can make cheaply and quickly. A few examples follow.

Making Your Own Ski Mask

Here’s an ultralight backpacking list, an example of what I typically take on a weekend hike. We’re all different in our needs and skills, though, so please don’t take it as a recomendation. My list, with weights (not including what I wear to start):

*GoLite Breeze Backpack: 12 ounces

*Western Mountaineering Bag: 17 ounces

*Nylon Tarp: 17 ounces

*Frogg Toggs Rain Jacket: 7 ounces

*Groundsheet: 2 ounces

*Sleeping Pad: 4 ounces